Innovation Competition information

The Rotary Club of Canterbury Innovation Competition aims to encourage youngsters to come up with innovative ideas.

The competition, which has been held for several years now, is run in association with local secondary schools and sixth-form colleges and other educational institutions, with the prizes being provided by local businesses.

What should the ideas be about?

We encourage youngsters to think “out of the box" and are looking for new ideas - or even new applications of an old idea. Ideas can be on any subject at all, provided they fulfil the objectives set out on our poster and in our rules (see below).

You might start by thinking of something that is a real problem - for example the traffic congestion in Canterbury, or perhaps some aspect of the way your school is organised - and then come up with a new way of improving things. Or you might begin by having an idea for a new device or gadget.

What type of entries have there been in the past?

There are millions of possibilities for entries. In previous years we have had ideas including flashing toy boxes (to encourage young children to be tidy), a Swiss Army makeup kit, a way of opening public toilet doors without touching the handle, a sophisticated corrective writing device for disabled people, a simple way of getting the right angle for brushing your teeth, an automatic egg cleaner for poultry sheds and an amazing water-capture system for adventurous hikers.

What if I have the same idea as others?

Inevitably, some ideas are thought of by several people, so when you have your idea we suggest you look on the internet to see if something similar is already available, and try and work out why your idea is better.

Who can enter?

Entries can be from individuals or a team (of not more than four people).

At the date of submission, all entrants and all members of teams must be attending secondary school, 6th form college or equivalent in Kent or in such other areas as the organisers, in their absolute discretion, may extend the competition.

How it works:

The competition will be judged by a panel of local people, all of whom have a science or technology background. Some have had a hand in developing new ideas and bringing them to the market.

Entries are made by email. Each entry is then scrutinised by the organisers and written enquiries may be raised; these aim to clarify what is being proposed.

The panel of judges then considers all the written material and decides on a shortlist, based on the initial entry and response to the written queries.

Shortlisted entrants are then invited to give a short oral/PowerPoint presentation to the panel of judges and others at the final, during which they will be asked further questions about their idea in front of an audience. All entrants are invited to, and urged to attend the judging final.

After this the judges choose and award the winning entries.

Prizes:

There is a cash prize for the winner and two runners up:

1st prize: £300

2nd prize: £100

3rd prize: £50

All other presenters speaking at the final will receive a consolatory prize of a book token.

All finalists will receive a certificate of participation.

After the judging, all shortlisted participants and others attending the final will be given advice on ways of exploiting and protecting their ideas.

How to enter:

There is no entry fee, and you can submit as many entries as you like.

All that is necessary is that your idea fulfils the objectives set out in our poster and rules. PLEASE read them very carefully, and make sure your entry complies with the requirements including those about form, submission and timing.